[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 135

Wednesday, a corner of the Tea Party buzzed with activity.

The daily grind of judging the Eden Treaty incident’s ringleader, with propaganda flying everywhere. Students waving Trinity’s flag, demanding the witch’s ouster, and supporters pointing guns in response. Mika-sama’s hearing began like that.

I attended as a Tea Party executive. I don’t have much authority, but my reactions might carry weight.

Will the second hearing be different? In the first, Mika-sama showed zeal in defending herself. If she’d won over students with her reasoned explanations… how nice would that have been?

Trinity’s ablaze: Kill her! Exile the witch! The cries boil over. At a glance, the public seems to want her hanged, but there’s surprising resistance.

Why? Because those leading the exile campaign aren’t exactly saints.

The Tea Party’s radicals aren’t just Pater. Early in my leadership, the daily protests included all sorts of groups, mostly with bad reputations.

From those supporting Mika-sama out of dislike for them to those unsatisfied with mere exile, they balance the hearing’s pro and con sides. Balance, sure, but it feels like a battlefield short of bullets. At least it looks like a hearing.

Slay Gehenna’s horned freaks!

…That such a slogan’s tolerated in the Tea Party. As always, Tea Party rules strictly regulate speech. Are they swept up in the fervor, or do they truly hate her?

“Viper’s Den’s a fitting name. No wonder Chronos kids rip into us.”

I miss Hanako.

Wasn’t her leaving the Tea Party because of politics’ dark side or something? Such a shame—she’s Trinity’s most capable student. Still, I’m grateful she helped me during the Arius incident.

The hall was deafeningly loud. Honestly, I wanted to leave, but my position and being next in line… sigh.

The atmosphere only calmed after the esteemed hearing chair banged the gavel, repeatedly demanding order. Exhausted, she confirmed Mika-sama’s attendance. A simple reply: “…Misono Mika, present.”

Mika-sama’s official title is Pater faction interim representative. Kicked out as faction leader, Sayuri-san hastily created the role.

The situation’s dire, and there’s no student like her. Misono Mika is Pater’s leader, a symbolic figure for years. Those representing the Holy Father can’t belong to Setsune-san or Sayuri-san.

A cabal. Even those who wanted war with Gehenna during the Eden Treaty incident hope for her survival. The ones shouting in the hearing are just quirky girls vying for attention.

Exile is unthinkable. Even tailored to the Tea Party’s standards, would Nagisa-sama let it slide?

Pfft—the outcome’s already set, so why the obsession? The public’s never been this fixated on the Tea Party, yet the girls meant to enjoy tea only see the surface, filling themselves with baseless hatred.

Even judging politically or through canon law, Mika-sama’s punishment is fair. She injured some Tea Party buildings, the Border Checkpoint, Justice Task Force, and Sisterhood members. Exile or expulsion for that…?

She must bear responsibility for rising as a coup leader through contact with the anti-establishment Arius Branch School, but still.

Bang, bang, bang. The hearing began with three gavel strikes.

…We must remember that as we judge the accused here, history will one day judge this tribunal, and the trial’s atmosphere will be evaluated by its process.

***

Her cold rejection, as Pater’s idol and guide, is a massive, cruel moral betrayal. If this isn’t betraying Trinity, what is? I urge the Chair to impose severe punishment.

The hearing, sparked by a student’s scathing outcry, got an unexpected response. About… half the room reacted, maybe?

Foolish friends. A third are just here for the spectacle, and only the rest are actually involved, so it’s understandable. Even the much-anticipated jury stayed unresponsive.

That’s the price of forcing a second hearing. Faction leadership dismissal and lenient house arrest were already set in the first hearing. What’s so dissatisfying?

“…Thus, Misono Mika colluded with Arius Branch School and ignored the faction’s majority demands…”

The latter’s the main issue, the former secondary. Probably a Pater student, but trying to lead the hearing with claims that don’t reflect public sentiment is problematic. I personally suppressed what you’re talking about.

If only Setsune-san had led off? She might’ve focused on the first point, especially the first Arius incident—what some call the Eden Treaty incident the second Arius incident—and her escape during the British Operation.

Who are these vengeful friends grabbing whose lifeline? They won’t accept exile, at least.

“We request Yamatsu Hikari as the next witness. She’s present and was appointed Martial Law Commander. Please understand we can’t access the investigation records.”

A sudden witness request jolted me awake from listening quietly. Why me?

The resentful Chair approved, and I couldn’t bear everyone’s stares—including Mika-sama’s! After a deep sigh, I took one step, then two, crossing the gallery to the witness stand.

“The Border Checkpoint Commander, as Trinity General Academy’s Martial Law Commander, was tasked with the investigation during the security lockdown. Please speak ‘conscientiously’ about findings in Mika-sama’s coup investigation.”

Pfft—does this jerk see me as just a soldier? I’ve eaten enough social mess hall meals to hold my own.

“…I found no facts related to the Eden Treaty incident. Misono faction leader’s actions were tied to personal concerns… like, say, excessive worry about post-Eden Treaty relations with Gehenna.”

I didn’t just watch the hearing lost in thought. The first Arius incident was clearly illegal, but it failed, didn’t it?

Since Mika-sama’s also Nagisa-sama’s friend, we shouldn’t push for harsh punishment. We’re not some pristine democracy, and openly trying to kill someone who’s not a full traitor…

…That’s tactless, isn’t it? In other words, sticking your head under the guillotine.

Several questions and answers followed, mostly about the first Arius incident. As the one who suppressed it and handled the aftermath, I got it. If only the questions weren’t so intense.

How many casualties—er, injuries—occurred while the Border Checkpoint Commander suppressed the coup?

Do you recall the pretext for Arius Branch School’s ambush?

L-l-lastly! Lastly, do you… do you think she’s innocent? You don’t, right? Right?

…It’s almost pitiful. By the final question, they were desperate. Mika-sama seemed shocked by my “Of course not” response, but calmed when I explained.

Misono faction leader is a rebel mastermind. But, Administrator, I don’t think that warrants exile.

I returned to the gallery after my final testimony. She stayed silent until the Chair upheld the original ruling. Her face was shadowed, lost in thought.

The “Misono faction leader” hearing ended thus, and the spinach was eaten by the goat.

***

Two hours later, the “Yamatsu Proxy” attended as the accused. A novel experience.

Was the last hearing the Caesar case?

Setsune-san’s joining the hearing committee. How much must she hate me to have even a sensible student come after me?

After a short wait, the gallery, jury, committee, and Chair—can we even call this a hearing?—entered.

After some time for document prep, the Chair declared the hearing’s start.

The hour of fate struck me.